LEWIS IGNORES STAPP SIGN!

Hamilton delighted as ‘extra time’ pays off

LEWIS HAMILTON said he left “no stone unturned” in his quest to gain ground on Red Bull – and he delivered in style.

The reigning champion was all smiles after last night’s qualifier for the inaugural sprint race as he somehow dragged his Mercedes first over the line.

Hamilton even parked his dislike of the simulator in order to give his team the best chance of overhauling their main rivals for this year’s championship.

He turned up at the Mercedes HQ in Brackley yesterday morning, putting in the hard yards in a determined bid to keep Silverstone as his happy hunting ground.

And it paid off spectacularly as he left Dutchman Max Verstappen stunned.

Hamilton said: “I was in the simulator early this morning – using it as a practice session – because it’s the first time we’ve ever had the morning free. I’m putting in the time, trying to give absolutely everything and leave no stone unturned.

“My first lap was great and the second one was looking even better but I just lost the back end on the last corner.

“My heart was in my mouth as I crossed the line.”

Silverstone is Hamilton’s spiritual home. He has seven victories to his name on this circuit and is not going to give up his title – or his record for the most wins on this track – without a fight.

He was aided by team-mate Valtteri Bottas who blazed a trail ahead of him, allowing the 36-year-old to pick up valuable time in the Finn’s wake.

But with Red Bull eyeing their sixth victory, the pressure was on to deliver. And the British driver did.

After the times were confirmed, Hamilton leapt out of the car and charged over to salute the grandstands – and they responded with a rapturous ovation.

Hamilton said: “Doing this on your own turf is an incredible feeling.

“As I was coming around the final corner,

I could see the crowd

– it was reminiscent of my first pole in

2007. I couldn’t have done it without them.

So, a big ‘thank you’ to them.

“But it’s just one step forward.

“We’ve got the sprint which is going to be incredibly tough but we have the car in a good place. That’s where my work is done over the next two days. Teamwork makes the dream work.”

Verstappen looked frustrated during the debrief afterwards, claiming that gremlins with his own car caused the upset.

He said: “We need to look at ourselves. The car itself was handling quite well but there was a lot of understeer, so I couldn’t attack too many corners. It was a weird feeling to drive. But it is what it is, we are still quite close.

“It’s all right. We have a strong race car. We need to fix these issues. I’m confident we can have a strong race.”